Daily News

New Delhi: Senior politician Jaswant Singh was expelled from the BJP in August 2009 for his biography on M A Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Singh then called the BJP “narrow-minded, limited” but he is not over with the party yet.

Singh, Lok Sabha from Darjeeling, told CNN-IBN's Suhasini Haidar he will not confirm or deny rumours of arapprochement with the BJP. Rumours that Singh was returning to the BJP spread after senior party leader L K Advani asked him to fly with him to Jaipur for former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's funeral last week. “I think it was very courteous of Advaniji to invite me to join him and some of his other colleagues who were going to Jaipur for Bhairon Singhji's cremation. I was very touched that Advaniji asked me to go with him,” he said.

“I find that this is a commodity that is essential between colleagues who have worked together. Why should all of it automatically be attempted to be poured into a jar of political convenience?” he said.

Singh was asked if he was denying that he was returning to the BJP.

“I'm not affirming. Did I?” he replied. “I spent 32 year there (BJP). How can I get it out of my blood stream?”Singh said when he was asked if he felt the BJP was still his party

He, however, was unapologetic for the Jinnah biography. “Oh no, absolutely not, certainly not. That (the book) is an expression of my views.”

Singh said he was still “aggrieved” that the party had “banned” his book and expelled him for his views.

He said he did not miss being without a party but regretted not having a “platform”. “I do miss the platform. As an unattached, independent Member of Parliament, our polity as it is today has no time for us.

Any possibility of Singh returning to the BJP will difficult because of his book and criticism of senior party leaders at the time of his expulsion.